Indigenization and Reconciliation Award 2026: Remembering Mary Stewart

Language is more than just words; the late Koyalemót Mary Stewart taught this every day. It’s also identity, culture, history, and memory. The Modern Languages professor devoted her life to preserving the Halq’eméylem language and sharing it with others, and has been posthumously honoured with the 2026 UFV Indigenization and Reconciliation Award.

“Koyalemot’s teaching of the language was the growth of Indigenous history, culture, values, and ways of knowing in a way that made people want to know more, understand better, and also share what they had learned. Not only ‘éy swáyel,’ but the longstanding history of our people, and the resilience of all the people who saved and promoted our cultural learning,” explains Swelchalot Shirley Hardman, UFV’s Associate Vice-President of Xwexwílmexwawt.

“It is this cultural learning that allows non-Indigenous peoples to see into the hearts of Indigenous peoples. Koyalemót knew this and taught until she could no longer stand.”

The UFV alumna (who earned a diploma at what was Fraser Valley College in 1986) grew up in the Kwantlen First Nation, wondering why no one in her village spoke their traditional language. At 36, she gave up a job in social services to learn Upriver Halq’eméylem from fluent Stó:lō Elders at the Stó:lō Shxwelí Halq’eméylem language program. That class changed the course of her life, inspiring her to become a teacher herself and, later, return to UFV and help create the world’s first graduate diploma program for Halq’eméylem.

Eroded for years by cultural genocide and forced assimilation in residential schools, the language has only one surviving native speaker . Mary was one of many working to protect and revive it, and her example lives on in those who learned from her.

Professor Mary Stewart (left) poses with graduates and supporters of the Halq’eméylem graduate certificate program.

Mary taught the first cohort of Halq’eméylem graduates through storytelling, in-person discussion, and Accelerated Integrated Methodology (using gestures like American Sign Language to teach language faster). Many of her students brought these skills home to their communities, to become teachers themselves, and create a new generation of fluent speakers. Mary told them what her Elders told her: to teach the language with love.

One former student, Siyámíya Dianna Kay, described language as a connection to her ancestors and her past; thanks to Mary, and the curriculum she designed, so many more will have access to that connection. The Indigenization and Reconciliation Award recognizes this contribution, alongside Mary’s unwavering commitment to the Indigenous students and communities she served, and her embodiment of the 4Rs: Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, and Responsibility.

“Her teaching reflected a deep love and respect for the language. She embodied the wisdom of Elders and Knowledge Givers throughout her career, ensuring that her classrooms were spaces of cultural connection, reflection, and growth,” Betty Peters, director of the Indigenous Student Centre recalls.

“Mary seamlessly wove together language, history, and culture in all the courses she taught, helping students understand not only how to speak Halq’eméylem, but how to live its values. Without her vision, dedication, and tireless commitment, the Halq’eméylem program at UFV would not be where it is today.”

Mary’s voice can still be heard in the voices of her students, and in all the words she taught them. If language is memory, then Mary — and the cultural legacy she helped preserve — will be remembered for a long, long time.